Split-rim attachment



E. R. HUNNEWELI.. SPLIT RIM ATTACHMENT. APPLICATION FILED FEB.1.1918.

Patented May 23, 1922.

2-SHEETS-SHEET l- INVENTOR E l lavclaSeR.' H mmeweu ATTORNEYS E. H. HUNNEWELL. SPLIT RIM ATTACHMENT.

. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 7, 1918. May 23 /Jg fx? 5: 5 .a 7@ frz INVENTOR ATTORNEYS SPLIT-RIM ATTACHE/:TENT

Application filed February 7, 1915.

To NZZ 10710771. t /may/ concern:

Be it known that l, Ennninoi R. HUNNE- wenn, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York city7 bl. Y., have invented certain new and useful improvements in Split-Rim Attachments, of which the following is a clear, full, and exact description. A

rlhis invention relates to split rims and particularly to attachments for such rims by which they may readily be restored to norma-l circular condition when broken or contracted for the removal or replacement of a tire. The invention further relates to means by which the breaking or contracting of the split rim may readily be effected.

An object of the invention is to provide simple, compact and positive split-rim er:w pending or restoring means, which may be permanently connected to the rim in position for convenient use, and which, nevertheless, will neither interfere with the mounting of the rim upon the wheel nor with the manipulation of the rim when removing or replacing the tire.

A further object of the invention is to A rovide means of the class described which A.,:ay be manipulated to effect the breaking or contracting of the rim.

Other objects and important features of the invention will appear from the following description and claims when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings. in whichl is a perspective view of a por-l tion of a rim in its normal, circular Condition. with the. invention applied thereto;

F ig, 2 is a section on the line 2 2 of Fig. l;

F ig. 3 is a perspective detail showing the bearing for the unattached end of the rimeirpanding toggle and the manner in which said end engages said bearing;

Fig. e is a section similar to Fig. 2 but showing the rim contracted and the toggle in its free broken condition;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 but show-'- ing the toggle about to move into its straightened condition, this view illustrating the fact that the rim joint will be slightly spread by the straightening of the toggle;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Figs. 2., 4 and 5 but showing the toggle about to be used as rim-breaking means;

Fig. 7 illustrates the toggle in the act of breaking the rim;

Spccication of Letters Patent.

lllateiited illay 223, 159m@ seriai no. amena.

The invention is herein illustrated as emy bodied in a rim 25 having a joint at 4 and having a groove or channel 6 upon its inner face. but it will be understood that the invention is not restricted to the illustrated embodiment and that it is of equal utility with rims having different cross-sections. 'l

lhc rim 2 has preferably only the one split or ]oint 4l and is preferably normally under such tension that when the two parts are .moved transversely past each other at the joint lthe rim will spring into the condition shown in Fig. 4L ofthe drawing. To effect the relative movement of the parts of the rim out of engagement with each other at the joint fl and also to restore them to the position shown iu Fig. l of he drawings. the purpose of the mechanism which coni stitutes the subject-matter of the present in.- vention. and in itsillustrative embodiment this mechanism comprises a toggle constituted by toggle links 8 and 10 having the knee joint of the toggle at l2, the link 8 being pivotally connected at le to a bearing member 16 permanently connected to the riin` and the link' l0 being unconnected to the rim.

The linlrs 5S and l0 are longitudinally curved on curves concentric with the rim so that they will lie snugly against the inner face of the rim or a nst the bottom of the channel 6 in the rim. it its free end the lint: l0 -is chamfcred or beveled for a purpose hereinafter to be set forth, and this beveled end l? is adapted to engage a thrust bearing formed upon a bearing member 1S when the toggle is straightened or when the rim is in broken condition. the toggle-engaging surface of the bearing member 18 being also chamfered or beveled7 as shown at 20. the bereis 17 and 20 being so related to each other that the bearing member 18 overhangs the end of the link l0 when.

the toggle lies against the inner face of the rim. The bearing members 16 and 18 are so spaced apart that when the toggle is in its straightened condition, the rim joint will be slightly spread.I thus facilitating the relative transverse movement of the parts of the rim on the two sides of the joint el; into opposed relation to each other. lt will be noted that the particular inclination of the bevel 1T upon the end of the link 10 is such that when the toggle is in its straightened condition or is broken towards the center of the rim, the face of the beveled. end, having a transverse dimension greater than the thickness of the bearing 18, will engage the sharp edge of this bearing, and the expanding thrust of the toggle will thus be greater than would be the case if the end of the link 10 should engage -under the overhanging part of the bearing 18 or if the linkl() were pivotally connected to the bearing 18. lllhen, however, the toggle has moved past its straightened condition and is again broken toward the inner face of the rim, the beveled face 1i" will rock under the beveled face 2O and the breaking` of the toggle toward the rim will draw these two faces slightly apart, thus permitting the tension of the rim to hold the two part-s tightly in engagement with each other at the joint Ll-.

.ln order further to insure the maintenance of the continuity of the rim at the joint a, the. rim and toggle are provided with interlocking parts upon opposite sides of the joint e, whereby both longitudinal and lateral relative movements of the two parts of the rim are prevented. rlhe interlocking parts, shown in the form of the invention illustrated in Figures 1 to 9 inclusive, comprise a rectangular lug 22 upon the link 10, adapted to tit into a cdrrespondingly shaped opening 24 in the rim, and a 'Cylindrical stud 26 upon the rim adapted to fit into a correspondingly shaped opening 2S in the toggle link 8. The stud 26 also serves as a guide for the toggle movement of the toggle, thus insuring. in connection with thesides of the groove 6, against lateral relative movement of the two parts of the rim, in case of lateral distortion. when the toggle is operating to restore the rim to its normal condition.

is hereinabove suggested, the rimstraightening toggle is preferably so constructed that it may be utilized in different way to effect the breaking ofthe rim when it is desired to remove at-ire. This use of the illustrated mechanism and the features of its construction, which permit its utilization to this end. are illustrated particularly in Figures G. and 8 ofthe drawings. Vhen the toggle is in the position shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, it is in broken condition, that is, it has moved past its straightened condition toward the rim. ln order to move `it away from the inner face of the rimand other, a toolereceivingnotch 30 has been provided under one edge of the toggle link 10, into which a tool may be inserted., as shown in Fig. S of the drawings. to effect a prying of the toggle away from the rim, this notch being located near the knee joint 'l2 of the toggle. This movement of the toggle will effect its straightening and. a. slight sjjnfeading of the rim at the joint. if this movementl is continued until the toggle is broken i toward the center of the rim, the end 1T of the link 10 may then be withdrawn from engagement with the bearing 18 and the toggle may then be moved into the position shown in Fig. 6, with the link 8 again in interH locking relation to the stud 26. The stud 26 is shown, as provided, with a transverse opening 32, which is located above'the link 8 or toward the center of the rim with respect to said link, when the link is brought against the inner face of the rim., or into the position shown in Fig. 6, and by inserting a pin or key 34 through this opening, the link 8 may be locked against move-nient about its pivot 1st. j

It will be noted that the link 8 bridges the joint e of the rim and that the knee joint 12 of the toggle is otl'set to the side of said rim joint remote from 'the pivot 1l of the link 8. ylhe link 10 is extended beyond the knee joint 12, as shown at 3G, this extension 36 being received in a fork 38 in the link 8 and stopping short of the joint of the rim. lllhen, therefore, the parts are in the position shown in Fig. (i of the drawing, and the pin 3st has been inserted through the hole 32 in the stud 26, n'iovement o f the end lf( of the link l() away from the inner face of the rim will cause the extension 36 ot' the link l() to engage the inner face of the rim at one side of the joint. and thus effect a relative movement of the two parts of the rim pasteach other. shown in Fig. 7 of the drawings, thereby causing the rim to be broken or contracted into the condition shown in F ig. 4f. Y

In Fig. 10 of the drawi -gs is shown a slight modification of theiinterlocking eonstruction, the link 8 being A rovided upon its two fork members, in proximity to the joint 4i, with rectangular lugs 40 adaptedto be received in Correspondinglj7 shaped openings l2 in the rim.

As hereinabove. suggested, the (2o-'operating bearing surfaces of the link 10 and the bearing member 1S are preferably so shaped as to increase somewhat the expanding thrust of the toggle, and are preferably so shaped that the maximum joint spreading thrust is imparted to the two parts of the rim before the toggle'reaches its straightened condition, thus permitting more time `for the rim parts to move into opposed relation before the toggle breaks against the inner face of the rim. This is a valuable feanaiagwi ture of the invention, particularly when the invention is embodied in a rim of the type herein shoWn, in which the rim is tensioned to move into contracted condition' and has the abutting ends so shaped that the rim tension tends to hold the rim parts in opposed relation at the joint.

Another novel feature of the invention, which is of great practical value in facilitating the breaking of the rim, is the mountingof the toggle upon the rim with only one link connected With its associated thrust bearing. With this construction, when the toggle is broken toward the center of the rim, there is noresistance from the toggle to the transverse movement of the rim parts essential to breaking or contracting the rim. Vith the distortion to which rims are subjected in use, the direction in which the rim tends to break varies from time to time and it is, therefore, important that there beno connection between the expanding means and the rim at the time the rim is broken which Will either resist the easy breaking of the rim or Will tend to distort or injure the expanding means.

l. The combination with a one piece split rim normally under a tension tending to move it to contracted condition when broken at its joint andl having ends shaped to be held by said tension in abutting relation When the rim is in normal condition, of means for moving said ends into abutting relation when the rim is broken, comprising a toggle, thrust bearings for the ends of said toggle upon opposite sides of the rim joint spaced on said rim to spread .said joint when said toggle is straightened, said toggle being shaped to lie against the inner face of said rim when said rim is in normal condition, and being of such length thatit is disengaged from at least one of its thrust bearings vvhen in this position.

2. The combination with a one piece split rim having abutting ends shaped to maintain the oint when the rim is in normal expanded condition, the rim tension produced by such expansion tending to move said ends past each other When out of abutting relation, of rim expanding means, comprising a toggle, means for locking the toggle against toggle movement, and means carried by one of the toggle links and operable by the independent movement thereof for effecting a relative radial. movement of the rim parts at the rim joint when the toggle is thus locked.

3. The combination with a one piece split rim having abutting ends shaped to mainw tain the joint when the rim is in normal expanded condition, the rim tension produced by such expansion tending to move said ends past each other when out of abutting relation, of a toggle bridging the rim joint and adapted to lie against the inner face of the rim when the rim is in its normal condition, the knee joint of said toggle being offset along the rim with respect to the rim joint, means for locking one of said toggle members against the inner face of the rim and an extension on the other mem ber acting When the first-mentioned member is locked to effect the breaking of the rim joint.

t. The combination with a one piece split rim having abutting ends shaped to maintain the joint When the rim is in normal eX- panded condition, the rim tension produced by such expansion tending to move said ends past each other when out of abutting relation, of means for expanding said rim When in broken condition, comprisinga toggle bridging the rim joint and pivotally at tached at one end to said rim, means for locking the attached toggle member against toggle movement, and means on the other toggle member for breaking said rim joint Whlendsaid first-mentioned toggle member is loc re Signed at New York city, N. Y., this 6th 

